Background: Self-medication can lead to the latency of the real severity of disease, delay in diagnosis, a complication of treatment, threatening side effects, and unexpected intoxication. The present research aimed to explore the prevalence of self-medication and its factors among students affiliated to Bandar Abbas universities in 2016. Materials and Methods: This Descriptive Analytic study was performed on 600 students affiliated to the universities in Bandar Abbas; Islamic Azad University, Payam-e-Noor University, and University of Medical Sciences. The sample was selected through a stratified sampling method, and the data were collected by a questionnaire comprised of two parts, demographic information (6 items), and risk factors of self-medication and self-medicated drugs (26 items). SPSS version 19 was used to analyze the data through the required tests. Result: The mean age of the students was 24.11±5.85 years. One hundred and ninety-one subjects (31.8%) were male, and 409 (68.2%) were female. The results revealed the prevalence of self-medication in the target population was 80.2%., the main reasons for self-medication were reported underestimating the disease 461(77.0%), previous experience of the disease 457(76.4%), repeated prescription 441(73.6%), and easy access to drug 423(70.6%). The most prevalent drugs self-medicated by students were acetaminophen, herbal medicines, antibiotics, other drugs, sedatives, and anti-acids, respectively. Conclusion: Considering the high prevalence of self-medication (80.2%) revealed in this research, there is a need for more attentive care for consistent education and drug consumption culture promotion. Specific approaches can help the provision of easy access to medical services in universities.
Irrational use of Eucalyptus oil in dentistry: a case report
